


Warmth In Death

by TeaLovingTooru



Series: Powerpuff Girls Content :') [14]
Category: Powerpuff Girls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Death, Everyone is Dead, F/M, Falling In Love, Graphic Description, Kingdom of the Dead, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:28:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27986193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaLovingTooru/pseuds/TeaLovingTooru
Summary: Frigid, pure tempest, bathed in moonlight and Death's great door knocked upon by those begging entry, but to where their spirits shall go is simply unknown, the storm inside of those pleading for rest boiling over until all that is left is the austere presence of a life left in purgatory; in waiting and miserable as they anxiously await to see where fate leads them... Heaven or Hell.Or: Princess Blossom Utonium wakes up in a mysterious land... the land of the dead; Zerfallen.
Relationships: Boomer/Bubbles Utonium, Brick/Blossom Utonium, Butch/Buttercup Utonium, Mike Believe/Robin Snyder
Series: Powerpuff Girls Content :') [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687597
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	Warmth In Death

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello!!! And a very happy New Year!!! This fic is uh... basically my start to a hopefully better year. I'm not going to lie, it's definitely... different than my usual AUs, but uh. I hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful New Years!!! <3 Thank you so much for reading <3

_"Unable are the loved to die... for love is immortality."_

_Emily Dickinson_

* * *

_Frigid, pure tempest, bathed in moonlight and Death's great door knocked upon by those begging entry, but to where their spirits shall go is simply unknown, the storm inside of those pleading for rest boiling over until all that is left is the austere presence of a life left in purgatory; in waiting and miserable as they anxiously await to see where fate leads them... Heaven or Hell._

And with that, all things would eventually meet their end with no knowledge of where they would be going or if there was somewhere to go at all. No one knew but the dearly departed, buried in their white gowns or black trousers with pure respect and benevolence laid upon the best of them all, great white lilies marking headstones of those in the upper classes, poppies on those of whom were strikingly less fortunate than to be born into fortune... Blossom had never understood the distinction, which was perhaps why when she was just a girl at a funeral of one of her many nursemaids, she had claimed rather boldly that she would prefer to be buried with the red poppies instead and her older cousin, who's name was oddly escaping her in that moment, had given her quite the lecture. 

_"Blossom, don't you know that we are not like them...? They are servants and we are royalty, that is how it is... poppies represent eternal sleep, while white lilies... well, they represent rebirth. And if any shall reborn to God, shouldn't it be the better of us all?"_

Even then, Blossom had not understood such sentiments. They were all just people and it was by chance that she had been born to be a princess... would her family dislike her if she had been born to a commoner...? A woman like Nana Sandra...? She didn't understand it when she was four years old and she didn't now, either, at eighteen. She was the same soul... the same person she'd always been; a human just like any one of them and that same night, when she cried for her nursemaid, her mother had come to her instead. She remembered the soft weight of her mother's hands in her curls and on her cheeks, wiping away glass shattered tears, kissing her forehead and explaining that for the moment, she'd have to do without Nana Sandra, but that she was surely watching down upon her... her mama had always known just what to say and at four years old, the young princess had endured her first heartbreak. 

_"Mama... someone told me that... that Nana couldn't have the white flowers... but... why?"_ A small version of herself had once asked, curled up with her mother as her tears slowed and her back was stroked in the comforting way only a mother could produce. _"I think the red ones are prettier anyways... look kind of like roses..."_

Her tired mind recalled the warmth of her mother's laugh as she kissed her temple, humming as she held her even closer. _"Believe me, my darling, I find red flowers to be far more fitting to the odes of sleep than white lilies, but it is simply how it is done. Why did they say it was?"_

_"Well... she said... was because we're better. That we should to be 'reborn to God'... but they shouldn't."_ She had said curiously, looking into her mother's eyes with confusion. _"I thought everyone is reborn... when they go to Heaven, mama... that's what the man with the funny hat at Church says..."_

_"Oh, dearest... everyone deserves that opportunity... but no, not everyone goes to Heaven. Some people go to... a much less happy place. But don't you worry, my sweet... I have every ounce of faith that dear Sandra has gained her place beside him."_ She smiled, the silk of her nightgown wet with pitiful, slow drying tears as she held her, comforting in every way she knew possible. _"Anyone, not just people like us, can enter Heaven, darling... and if you'd like to be buried with any flower, poppies or lilies, it will be so... but you, flower, have a long life ahead of you and Nana Sandra will be watching you from above always. Now try and get some sleep..."_

_"Can... can you sing me the pretty song? Please?"_

_"Of course, darling."_

Her head was feeling rather bleary, eyes as heavy as stones as she tried to lift them... must have been quite the good sleep. With a soft yawn, she moved to stretch and roll over, but her curled knuckles made contact with an unfamiliar surface and she paused, slowly blinking her eyes open in confusion, a heavy breath leaving her chest when she could see nothing. _Was it still the night...? It couldn't be._ She closed her eyes, rubbing at her eyes for a moment before opening them again and swallowing when nothing appeared before her, moving to sit up but wincing when her head too intersected with an odd surface. 

She felt her chest begin heaving, weakly lifting her hands to try and push the offending obstruction away. However, her fingers met a groove in the top of the slab, now having recognized it as a hard wood and she let them slide over the indentations... eyes widening in horror. It couldn't be... this... these markings, she had felt before, in the service of her- she couldn't quite remember who, but she knew she'd felt it and she knew exactly where she lay... the confined space... the cold air... the lack of warmth from her labored breaths... she couldn't possibly be... _dead._

Blossom wracked her mind as she tried to remember what could have happened... but she couldn't remember a single thing. She couldn't remember being sick or injured... or anything at all but her name, her birth into a kingdom she had forgotten and the vague appearance of a redheaded woman she had called mother... not a single memory left to her in her apparent death, though she tried to push it away. It couldn't be... perhaps someone was playing a cruel trick on her... she grunted in desperation as she tried to push the top off but found herself far too weak to move it... her father would destroy the person who had done this to her... she hoped darkly, a soft sob escaping her as she fell back into the plush material beneath her, sniffling weakly. 

"M-Mother... please, find me..." She muttered weakly, clutching weakly to the item in her hand... a rosary which hand been placed in her palm and she whimpered, swallowing as she began her prayer, cold tears falling from her eyes. "I-I believe in God... the Father almighty, C-Creator of h-heaven... a-and earth... I-I believe in Jesus C-Christ, H-His only son our-" She heard a sound then and she quieted for a moment, swallowing weakly before she weakly began pounding on the top of the casket, whimpering. "H-Hello? I-Is there someone there? Please, let me out, I beg you, I-!"

In an instant, the headcap was pulled away and her eyes closed at the light that came pouring in before she quickly sat up, rubbing her eyes weakly to look presentable before whatever servant had probably found her. 

"T-Thank you, I am much in your service, as I fear someone has played quite the trick on m-" She stopped short after her eyes opened, staring in shock at the three figures before her... pale... scarred... and... as her eyes trailed over she let out a scream at the completely flesh ridden 'person' before her as she quickly covered her eyes, crying harder. This had to be some type of horrible nightmare! This couldn't be! She had never seen these men before, much less a... a walking _skeleton! A skeleton at all!_ With a deep breath she sniffled, continuing her prayer as she clutched the Holy item tighter in her hand. "O-Our Lord! H-He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, a-and born of the Virgin M-"

"Born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate..." A deep voice rang, slightly teasing in it's affects as it continued. "Was crucified... died... and was buried." He finished the line, a somber sort of call in the small laugh her gave. "As have you, dear. Well... not the 'crucified' bit... but you have... you have died. And you appear to have been buried." 

Blossom's eyes opened and she sniffled, looking at the pale man before her... the stark green eyes near enough to light up a room and the blue tint to his lips alarming her... this had to be a nightmare. She soothed herself with this thought, swallowing as she looked around her, having found a cloak around her shoulders which she readily unclipped, offering it to him. "H-Here, sir... a-are you not cold...?"

"I have been cold for longer than you could possibly imagine." He smiled kindly, though the quirk in his right corner and the dimple in his cheek made it look rather... teasing. "But this is not about me... this is about you and I would suggest you keep that cloak for yourself. It's only going to become colder when we leave this place." 

The man beside him sighed and shook his head, offering a hand covered in scars... he looked positively mangled... much like a scarecrow, patched back together attentively. "Honestly, Butch, you always manage to sound so creepy when you speak. Nice to meet you, Miss. I am Mike... well, Michael, but everyone calls me Michael. We are here to collect you." 

"C-Collect me...?" She asked weakly and she was sure her face had gone pale by now. "I-I refuse! I will not be going anywhere with the likes of you two and that... that abomination!"

The skeleton turned then, eyes peering directly at her... a-a skeleton... with bright blue, peering eyes, staring right at her. This had to be a nightmare. "I assure you, princess, this is not a nightmare. And I must tell you that calling people you have just met 'abominations' is quite rude. However, I will forgive you, as I am sure you are simply breathless by the sight of my lovely blue eyes. I understand, truly."

Butch, as he'd been called laughed then, rolling his eyes. "Yes, that or the sight of your bones, Crispy."

Blossom was staring in pure shock, eyes blinking rapidly before the skeleton man seemed to pout... he... _pouted._ She was going insane. "Do not call me 'crispy', that is incredibly rude! What if I called you... 'shark bait'!?"

The man from before snickered and rolled his eyes, hands going on their shoulder blades and humming. "Gentlemen, we are scaring the pretty young lady... and you know how angry the King would be if we scared away his pretty wife before he even got to meet her."

Blossom's eyes trailed his face, narrowing them curiously as she looked at him. He looked strangely familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. "Say... do I know you?"

He blinked in surprise at being addressed, laughing nervously and ruffling his own hair. "Not that I know of, Miss... I'd definitely remember knowing the princess."

She swallowed, nodding and looking at him. "And... this... skeleton... how is he speaking?"

"Ah, well... this is Boomer... he has magic so he-"

"Oh my- I truly am in hell!" She cried, eyes fluttering as she nearly fainted, but Butch quickly reached out to stop her head from slamming into the thick slats of wood behind her; dead or not. 

"Mm, no. Not quite." The man laughed, helping her sit back up. "Magic isn't... quite what people think it is... all of Zerfallen is made of magic."

_Zerfallen... Zerfallen meant decay, so if this wasn't Hell..._

"So... I-I'm in purgatory...?"

He laughed again, far more boisterous this time and Blossom felt herself balk, swallowing weakly. Had she somehow offended this... very pale looking man? "No, princess, there is no such thing as 'purgatory'."

"Then... then where am I...? If I'm... dead and... a-and I'm not in Hell... but purgatory doesn't exist... h-how can this be Heaven?"

"It's not." Mike answered before Butch could, offering his hand once more so he could help her out of the casket. "Zerfallen is... the Kingdom of the Dead."

She swallowed, reaching for his hand, as well as the one Butch took and shivered at the cold, balmy texture of their skin, as well as the slats of scars that were present all over Mike's hand and up his arm. They helped her step outside of her previous imprisonment, eyes trailing down to her dress and her feet... her apparently still heart aching at the sight of the white lace, which reminded her of a gown she'd seen before... she just couldn't quite place where or when. 

"I... I really am dead?" She murmured, looking between the two men standing before her, then over to the... the other man. "How...?"

"We don't quite know... only two people would know, I believe. The Oracle... and I suppose, perhaps, The Crimson King." Butch answered, gently dropping her hand and helping her fix her cloak once more, retying the silk laces that held it in place into a perfect bow... how curious. He'd had such callused fingers... yet he knew how to tie an immaculately tied bow. "Though, we personally aren't supposed to know until you know... it is a part of the prophecy."

"Prophecy...?" Her voice came out weakly, tilting her head as she kept looking at the tall, emerald eyes man to her left. "What prophecy?"

Butch smiled then, helping her then step off of the ledge of the prayer lift. "When Zerfallen was created, the land was barren for about a hundred years... only our King was present, but over time, things slowly began to appear. First... his castle, after about a hundred years... then soon after, the catacombs." Blossom blinked in surprise... the King had been alone for over a hundred years...? How sad. "He went searching through them and found a collection of scrolls that detailed the past, present and future of Zerfallen... and you, dear princess, are the prophesized savior of our people."

"There... there are more of you?" She murmured, side eyeing the skeleton who just so happened to be staring right at her, causing her to clear her throat and turn to him, giving an apologetic curtsy and hanging her head. "I must apologize, Mister Skeleton, I am just... still rather rattled I am afraid by your... appearance." 

Even though it was impossible, it seemed the man smiled at her, giving a bow of his own. "No need to apologize, princess. I scared myself half to de- well. I scared myself half past death when I woke up here." 

"When... when you woke up here? Like I did?" He nodded in response to her question, causing her to bite her lip, a nasty habit she'd never been able to resist when she was perplexed, no matter how many times her tutors scolded her for it. "And... pray tell, when was that?"

"Mm... well... I was eighteen when I died, so... about a hundred years ago!" He laughed, a skeletal hand moving to rest on the side of his skill, an exasperated sigh falling from his lips. "It feels like just yesterday, honestly!"

Butch snickered, shrugging. "Boomer, aside from our King and The Oracle, is the first person to wake up here." 

"So... when did the Oracle appear here...?"

"Ah, let's walk and talk. We must make way for the castle." He smiled, leading her and the rest of the group out of the tomb. "Now... The Oracle appeared after, mm... about a hundred and fifty years after our King. It's quite a funny story, really, he believed she was you, haha! Same hair or something, all... red and what not! But not completely the same, now that I look at ya in person! Yours... yours look kinda delicate, but the Oracle. Phew. Hers are _wild."_

Blossom felt herself laugh at that, the original noble tone and vernacular seemed to drip away the longer they spoke and Butch was starting to seem far less intimidating, even if it felt like those bright eyes were watching her everywhere she went. "Why did he think this... Oracle person was me?"

"Ah, well... in the scrolls, there are... paintings, sorta. But they're only half finished. Kinda just... splotches of color, rather than anything you can really see. But in the prophecy, it talks of a savior, who happens to be... the bride of the King. Not to, uh... scare you or anything." He laughed nervously, those blue lips twitching. "But yeah... so, she had bright red hair and was surrounded by pink and gold and lots and lots of flowers. And when the Oracle... well, like I said, she had fiery red hair. But when he referred to her as 'princess', she quickly shut him down. She's kinda... made. Like how Zerfallen was. She wasn't ever really alive so she isn't really dead either! It's kinda cool... but yeah, so we all call her Princess as a joke... knowing her this long, 'The Oracle' title is just a bit... unnecessary." 

Blossom nodded softly to that, biting her lip again as she looked at the stone walls of the tomb. "I see... that... that makes sense, I suppose."

"Speaking of which..." Boomer spoke, peering at her. "What _is_ your name anyways...? We'll obviously only call you by your title, but..."

"Oh... my name is Blossom." She answered softly, wringing her hands softly as she looked down at the silk slippers on her feet that patted gently against the slightly wet looking cobblestone. "Though... I can't remember much else..."

Butch nodded sympathetically. "Yeah... when you first arrive, you won't remember much at all... I didn't remember for a long time how I even died. I mean... some people it's easy to guess." He snickered, looking back at Boomer. 

"Do not make me swear you out in front of a princess." 

"Doesn't stop you in front of the King, Crispy." 

"He is a man!" He growled, making Blossom laugh softly and he looked at her in surprise. "Did... are you laughing because of me?"

"Um... yes, I'm sorry, is that rude?"

"No, no!" He shook his bony hands quickly. "It's just been a long time since I have made someone laugh... not to mention, I can imagine you're rather... alarmed by my appearance." 

"A bit... but... you don't seem like you are going to hurt me..." She answered, laughing nervously as Butch opened a door and they were suddenly outside, Blossom shivering slightly. "It's... nighttime?"

Mike laughed softly, shaking his head. "No, princess. It's actually around five in the afternoon." 

"Then... why is it so dark?" She mumbled, eyes peering up to the starry night sky above her, widening. "There are so many..."

"Yes, well... our King loves the stars." Boomer smiled fondly... or, as fondly as a skeleton _could_ smile. 

"Do you all... know him well?"

"Oh yes." Butch answered warmly, the first genuine smile she'd seen on his face thus far, no teasing in sight. "He saved us all!"

"Saved you...? How so?"

"Well... those who end up in Zerfallen end up here because they have suffered tragic or untimely deaths." He hummed, sighing softly. "We all have some sort of tragic backstory... though, some... some are more tragic than others. For example... I drowned." He smiled, pointing to his lips. "That's why my lips are blue and all that fun stuff."

"Oh... did it hurt?" She asked softly but caught herself. "I'm sorry, that was rude, I- I can't imagine it is polite to ask a person how they died... and whether or not it hurt..."

"Don't worry." He laughed softly, shaking his head and giving her a smile. "It did. You know how they say... drowning is the loneliest sort of death?" He waited for a reaction and Blossom nodded, swallowing softly. "I believe they're right... I wouldn't know for sure, because it's the only way I've ever died." He teased, snickering softly, but his eyes told a different, far less... funny story. "But I'm glad I did. Drown, I mean."

"You... you're happy you died?" She asked in shock, eyes wide. 

"Oh hell no." He laughed, but cleared his throat. "Pardon my language. But... in a way, yes. I died protecting my younger sister, Temperance... an ironic name. She was a total brute. I raised her well." He snickered. "She held her ground... managed to get away and live a full life, so I'm proud. It's never a very satisfying thing, to do unexpectedly, but if it's in the service of protecting a loved one... don't you think it's worth it? To be able to watch them grow?"

She blinked in surprise at the tone he'd taken, but nodded. "Forgive me for asking, but... you said 'was' and... and that you got to watch her grow?"

"Ah... yes. She's passed by now... but she lived a full life, so she didn't, um... she's not here. She's... well, I hope she's in Heaven." He smiled. "But yes, Princess, the Oracle... she can show you the present and the past of the living world. But never the future. It's against the rules." 

"Why...?" She asked softly, head tilting to the side curiously. 

"Well... we don't know exactly. Princess just said it was against the rules. The prophecy scrolls... they're as close to the 'future' as we're allowed to see." Mike answered for Butch. "I am the official kingdom historian, so I know almost everything there is to know about everything and everyone who comes into Zerfallen... how they lived, date of death... how they died." 

"But I thought you said you didn't know how I died...?"

"I don't. Not yet anyways... I don't know how the King died either. You two are... special cases. There's no record of the King's Death because he created Zerfallen... in death." 

Blossom bit her lip, slowly beginning to understand, even though it all still sounded so incredibly bizarre. "But... how long have you all been here? I mean... Mister... Boomer... he's a skeleton... and I know he's been here for a long time, but... you two... you look young, but... Butch, you said... that your sister has passed away by now so... I mean, you can't have been here long. Right?"

Butch laughed. "I got here a year after Boom... we don't... age after death. It's a bit of a stalemate." He explained, shrugging. "Mike though... he hasn't been here very long." 

Mike nodded gingerly, biting his lip softly and gently holding his hands behind his back. "Yes, well... I have been here... mm, what is it now...? Today is the twelfth of... it'll be two years as of the fifteenth of June... so that's five hundred and sixty four days..." 

Blossom blinked. "That's an exact number..." Butch and Boomer both looked away awkwardly, making Blossom swallow anxiously. "I'm sorry, I'm just... I'm still so very lost with all of this, I mean no offense."

"No, no, um..." He bit his lip, smiling as his head tilted to the side. "I, uh... I couldn't forget it if I tried. It's my daughters birthday."

Blossom's eyes widened and her heart clenched once more with sympathy, swallowing weakly. "Oh... M-Mike, I am so sorry..."

"Don't worry... you, um... after a while, the shock wears off and... well, I see my girls whenever I can. My wife... and our daughter. At least once a day." He smiled sadly, eyes on the pavement. "She's beautiful. Growing healthy every day and... as much as I miss my wife, I'm grateful that she's alive with our baby."

Blossom gently patted the man's shoulder, giving him a sad smile. "That is... that's a rather nice way to look at things, Michael. I am glad you kind find a positive in these circumstances..." 

"You are a rather kind princess, aren't you?" He smiled, the scars by his mouth stretching with his smile. "I must say, we were rather worried."

Butch snorted, shaking his head. "Isn't that the understatement of the year, Mikey? We were horrified by the idea you might be the rotten type... or perhaps even the cruel type." 

"Why...?"

"Our King..." Boomer cleared his 'throat', laughing anxiously. "Is quite... lonely. Or perhaps just mysterious. He doesn't seek the company of others much, so we hoped that... his bride would be kind and gentle... perhaps to encourage him to be more... social. Less... hidden from society."

"Why does he hide...?" Blossom said curiously, looking up at the skeletal man. 

"You see, princess, our King is something of a workaholic... and therefore, he spends all of his time working to make this place better for us... and for you. You are his light in the darkness... it's rather romantic really! Every time something very pretty appears here, he puts it with your th-" 

"Crispy, you're scaring the girl. She's never met the man!" Butch scoffed, smacking the porcelain bone of his friend and in the next moment, the bones were poured over the street, in complete disarray. 

Blossom gasped in shock, holding her hands to her mouth before quickly picking up a few of the bones and trying to put him back together before the bones began rattling, pulling back together in what must have been the so called... magic. She gently let go of the bones she'd held, watching them fall back into place, Boomer only laughing shyly. "Sorry about that... quite the spill, huh?"

"I-I suppose you could say that..." Blossom smiled nervously before looking at Butch with a huff. "Stop being so cruel to your poor friend! He is simply trying to tell me of the king and you have him laid out on the street in a moment flat!"

Butch blinked before bowing his head. "Yes, princess. You guys, I like her. She's very fun."

"I agree... I think she fits him quite well." Michael laughed, smiling as he led them through an alcove. "Now, princess... if this isn't what you want... you can go... but you must do it now."

"Why now...?"

Boomer smiled, pulling open the gate and waving his hand exaggeratedly. "Because we're here... this is the Crimson King's palace." 

**Author's Note:**

> Hehehe...... ok, ok, so I know it's a bit short for a beginning, but what can you do :')) I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope you stick around for more <3


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